1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to ladders and more particularly to ladders of the suspension type where the ladder hangs downwardly from a support near its upper end. With even greater particularity, the present invention relates to such suspension ladders formed primarily of hollow aluminum tubing and to be used, for example, as boat boarding ladders for swimmers, skiers, scuba divers and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Shortly after the end of the second world war, home built pontoon boats using oil drums or surplus drop tanks became popular. While outboard motors were used to power these home built pontoon boats they were, generally speaking, quite slow and little more than movable rafts. Following the home-built era, commercially manufactured pontoon boats have evolved into relatively luxurious deck and super structure arrangements supported by a pair of streamlined aluminum pods with sufficient power and speed to tow skiers as well as being used for a wide variety of water related sports.
Boarding ladders for facilitating swimmer ingress to such pontoon boats are commonly employed and are typically removable so as to not create undesired drag when those ladders are not in use. Such boarding ladders typically have a handrail portion extending well above the uppermost ladder step so that the user may stand on that uppermost step and still maintain a hand grip on the ladder. Such boarding ladders typically have wooden cross members or rungs and are comparatively expensive to manufacture. Mounting brackets are typically required, further contributing to the cost and requiring special installation. A boarding ladder for pontoon boats, rafts and other water craft of simplistic and economical construction and which is easily installed or removed would be highly desirable.